wellington gets all american

in honor of independence day today, i thought i'd let you in on a little local and somewhat patriotic retail gossip. the other night i heard that american apparel is coming to the mall at wellington green. though i haven't read any other news stories about it yet, there are a bunch of job postings - or "open calls" as the company calls them - posted on the aa web site and others for a store in wellington that is "coming soon." no details on the date yet.

though i have been known to boycott the provocative brand in the past (mostly-nude, drugged out looking models in scandalous poses, paired with claims of ceo dov charney holding meetings in the buff - among other worse accusations not to be mentioned here = not the ideal company i'd like to hand over my money to), i actually think adding this is a good move for the wellington mall. the mall i called my own in high school has severely gone down in the past few years and the only reason to go there over cityplace or gardens anymore is the giant forever 21. a hip brand like american apparel will put it back on the style map around palm beach county.

adding the store to the mall mix is good from a fashion sense, but especially on a day like today, i can think of a few other reasons to bring it to the area. the shop known for it's comfy tees and other knits sticks to its name and is 100 percent all-american, with all garments completely created in its downtown la facility. the company also offers workers pay rates above minimum wage, as well as esl classes, company-subsidized lunches and affordable healthcare for employees and families. with pro-america standards (and pro-earth since they do not abuse labor systems in other countries), it's hard not to appreciate american apparel.

so while celebrating the fourth of july today, consider outfitting yourself in red, white or blue from american apparel. here are a few festive options that will make you cause fireworks:

polyester micro-fiber tulip skirt, $28

sheer jersey bandeau dress, $43

nylon spandex micro-mesh long sleeve mini dress, $42

(use as a coverup, or create a bandage-style dress by wrapping white ribbon or thin pieces of fabric around, as seen on mystyle.com. add red shoes and you're ready to go).

piqué cross-front jumper, $38

stear clear of the gold leotards though (or any leotards for that matter). the 80s might be back in style, but there are certain things that should be left in their place at 25 years ago and not brought to the fourth of july picnic.